Comoros/Moheli: Ylang Ylang Distillery

Ylang ylang essential oil is actually distilled in some ways similar to real alcohol distillation. We got lucky to visit a distillery in action! Fresh ylang-ylang flowers are picked early in the morning when their scent is strongest. Only fully mature, yellow flowers are used, as they contain the highest oil concentration. They are placed into a distillation tank, and steam is introduced, passing through the flowers. The heat causes the essential oils to evaporate along with the steam. Next, the steam and oil vapor pass into a cooling chamber, where they condense into a liquid, that consists of a layer of essential oil on top of water. The essential oil is then separated from the water and collected. Around 100 kg of fresh ylang ylang flowers yields only under 1 liter of oil. On Moheli, the process is often performed in small-scale, traditional distilleries that use copper or steel distillation units, quite old and primitive. The resulting oil is then sold to foreign buyers to Thailand, as we were told. Eventually, it makes it into Channel No 5!